Vehicle-wheel.



lF. A. FHQMMANN.v

'VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I1 I9I3. ,25,159 Patented Dec. 18,1917. 2 SHEETS-SHEET I. E

G A 0 :i1 lijf@ O d wlw@ 6 4 .9 @i )Z0 6 6 I m I I /l/ l d F. A. FROMMANI.

VEHICLE WHEEL. W

v APPLICATION FILED MMI. IT. I9I3- l 1,250,159.. Patented Dec. 18,1917.

l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 'u I l1; 1 2 M L@ H l 1I I vu 'I I @I y r r A| l f- II? f I iillfl H Il@ I Iiilli NIJ: Il; i

', 'FRANKLIN A. rnolvriitaiviv,j or eHIcAGqumINoIs.

.vEHIoLE-WHEEL.

' Specioatin of Letters Patent.

Applicatioafued Maren `17', 1913. seria11v0.754,855.

To all whom t may concer/n: Y

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN yFROM- MANN, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Wheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in-` vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

' My invention relatesto the class of vehicle wheels having a tire member iioatingly carried by the hub member of the wheel, and more particularly to wheels of this class having side flanges for maintaining the floatinglyA related wheel parts in lateral alinement. In wheels of this class, it has been customary heretofore to interpose one or more cushioning elements between the huband tire members of the wheel, and to fasten these cushioning elements either to the hub member, or to the tire member, or to both.

My present invention aims to provide a wheel in which the interposed cushioning Y elements are not secured either atY their ra- AFigfl along the line 2;-2.

dially'outward portions to the tire member of the wheel,nor at their radially inward portions tothe hub member, but are floatingly carried with respectto both the hub and the tire members of the wheel.

Another object of my invention is topro# vide a wheel construction in which floatingly mounted resilient members will be limited in their movement circumferentially of the wheel with respect to either ythe, hub or tire members, or both.' A Afurther Objectis to provide a wheel construction of the class mentioned in which the resilient elements will be mounted upon an articula-ted member, and in which the said articulated member will be' detachably secured at radially separated intervals to either the hub or tire members'of the wheel, or to both. Other objects will'appear from the following specification and fromV the drawings, in whichl Figure"-1-.-' is' a fragmentary sideview, partly in section, of the wheel embodying my invention, some parts beingbroken 'away dand others shown 1n section;

Fig. "2- is a partial, section t through Fig. is a fragmentary circumferential central section of the Yarticulatedmem'- ber of the wheel of Fig. l and of the resilient elements mounted thereon 'Fig. -4- shows an alternative embodiment of my invention.

Fig. bw-"isfanenlarged sectional view through lone ofthe resilient members of myy wheel construction when there is nostra-in upon the wheel, the resilient members being of a shape alternative to that shown in Figs. 1 and 4. t p y Fig. is a similar view showing the compression and distortion of the resilient memberwhen the latter is used on a loaded Patented Dec. 18,1191c,

wheelwith thel hub and tire members thereof rotatingrelatively the direction.4 of the arrows. I y f In'the embodiment of Fig. l, the wheel of my inventionconsists of a hub member comprising a hubl supporting aplurality 'of spokes '2, which spokes'termnate in a cir cumferential 'rim'V 3. Radially outward of the rim 3 and normally lconcentric therewith is a tire/member comprising a channel-sectioned rim 4 carrying a plurality oftread if blocks 5. Projecting'beyond the outer edge ofthe hub riml 3 and preferably radially in line with theV spokes are spoke extensions, each" having ar transverse perforation nor-A mally spaced about midway fbetween'the outer surface ofthe rim ,Bof the hubinem= ber and the inner surface of the rim l of the tire member of the/wheel. Ateach side of the wheel the latter is ,provided with annular side flanges 7 secured to the rim 3 land'between which the channel rim l is laterally confined land by which it is guided.` vThe spoke extensions 6 arefpreferably rbifurcated, thereby providing space between the forks for one of the links 9 of an articulated memf ber, such as a link'chain, which is lheld in position by a transverse boltA .or pin 8.v This articulatedl member preferably comprises a substantially endless chain of a suitable length for occupying a position'about lmidway between the saidri'ms?) and lof the hub and tire. members respectively. vMounted at intervals upon the links of lthe l'said articulated member, and desirably molded upon thesame, are resilient'members 10 of vulcanized rubber'or other suitable material.

Each of these resilientelementslO preferably circumferentially enlarged at or near each of its radial ends, thereby providing an increased bearing surface for contactv with the rims 3 and Llrespectively.l

It will be evident from" Fig. 1 that the articulated member connecting the'resilient @essere will leere' the later' free to` belief the articulated member to move about its joints will permit the portion of this member intervening between its successive pivota'l mountings upon the bolts 8 to move radially inward or outward. At` the same time, the connection of the articulated inember to the hub member of the wheel through the spoke extensions 6 will prevent the chain of resilient elements` from moving to any considerable extent circumferentially of the `wheel with respect to the hub member thereof.

lhile I have shown and described `the cushion-carrying chain or flexible interposed member of my invention as fastened at intervals to the hub member of the wheel, I do not wish to be limited to this arrangement as the spoke extensions Gfmight be eliminatedl and theV chain carried entirely by the inwardly directed formations 11 upon the rim 4: of the tire member, as shown in Fig. 1. vOr, if desired, the chain-fastening formations of the wheel may be formed alternately uponr the tire and hub members of the wheel vas also shown on Fig. el.

To avoid a slipping of theV floatingly related hub vand rim members of the wheel withA respect to the portion ofthe resilient elements bearing radially against the same, I preferably provide recessed formations 12 and 13 at the radially outward and radially inward ends of the resilient elements respectively. I/Vhen the wheel equipped with such cushioning elements is used under a strain, the compression upon them will squeeze out the air normally contained in the pockets between the recesses 12 and 13 and the respective adjacent rims 4 and 3, thereby aiording circumferentially wide contact surfaces as shown in Fig. 6.

In doing so, the squeezing out of the air from the pockets will tend to create a partial vacuum in the pockets when the compressing strain is relaxed upon partial rotation of the wheel, whereupon the pressure ofthe outer air will coact with this partial vacuum to' hold the ends of the cushions firmly. against the adjacent rims. Consequently, the-slipping of the cushioning elements with respect to therims ofthe hub and tire'members. and hence the resulting wear and friction will be greatly reduced. lhile I have shown. and describe-d the wheel of my invention in a .particular embodiment, I do notwish` tobe limited to the details as pictured and described, it being obvious that manyi modifications might be made without departing fromf the spirit of my invention.

I claim as myinvention:

1. Inia vehicle'AwheeLra' hub member, a tire member movable relative thereto, anda plurality of articulated members interposed therebetween and extending circumferentially of the said members; each of the said articulated members comprising a series of links secured at its respective ends to the said hub member, and large ended cushions carried by at least one of the said links and bearing in directions substantially radial of the .wheell against the said hub and tire members respectively.

2. In a vehicle wheel, a hub member, a tire member movable with'respect thereto, a plurality of articulated members interposed between the said hub and tire members and secured to one of the latter; and cushioning elements carried by the said articulated members and frictionally engaging the said hub and tire members, each of the said cushioning elements being enlarged at its radially opposite ends.

3. In a vehicle wheel, a hub member, a

tire member movable with respect thereto, and a plurality of articulated members interposed therebetween circumferentially of the said'members and each comprising a series of links, some of the said links equipped with resilient members having radial impingement upon the said hub and tire members respectively and larger at their contacting ends than at their points of engagement with said links, others of the said links connecting the said cushion-equipped links with one another and with rradially projecting formations upon one of the members between which the said articulated members are interposed. c

4. In a vehicle wheel, a hub member, a tire member movable with respect thereto, and a plurality of articulated members interposed therebetween and each comprising a series of links, some ofthe said links equipped with resilient portionsl havingfradial impingement upon the saidhub and tire members respectively, others of. the said links connecting the said cushion-equipped links with one another and .with radially projecting formations upon one of the members between which the said articulated members are interposed; the said cushions rbeing enlarged` circumferentially of the wheel at points adjacent to their impingement with the said hub and tire members respectively. y n

5. In a wheel, a hub'member; a tire member radially and circumferentially movable Y equipped with a rim; a plurality of supporting members integral with the said rim and extending radially beyond the latter; a tire member radially aud circiunferentially movable with respect to the said hub member; and a plurality of flexibly connected cushioning members interposed in annular formation between the said rim and the tire member, each of the said cushioning mem` bers comprising a plurality of flexibly connected cushions adapted to be radially compressed between the rim and tire and connected at its respective ends to two of the said supporting members.

7. In a vehicle wheel, a hub member; a tire member movable relative thereto; guide means carried by one oi' the said members for preventing relative lateral motion; a plurality of radially disposed cushions interposed between the said hub and tire member, each of said cushions contracted intermediate of its radial ends in a direction circumferential of the wheel; a link mounted in the said contracted portion of each Cushion; the said links flexibly connected to one at a plurality of radially separated points to one of the members between which they are interposed, and cushions carried by a plurality of the said articulated members and adapted to yieldingly hold said tire relatively to the rim and frictionally engaging both thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANKLIN A. FROMMANN.

Witnesses:

ALBERT SCHEIBLE, M. M. BoYLn.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. l 

